Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)

Every student deserves a safe space at school and equal opportunity to get an education. GLSEN’s work clears a path to well-being, opportunity and achievement for any student facing anti-LGBT bias and behavior schools. As a national education organization that addresses LGBT issues K-12 schools, GLSEN is primarily focused on an urgent daily reality: More than four out of five LGBT students have experienced physical, verbal or sexual harassment in school. One in five has been assaulted on school grounds. And the vast majority never report what happens to them, because they do not believe that school officials will do anything to help. Students who face this kind of victimization do less well in school, are less likely to plan to graduate, and can suffer greatly in terms of their individual well-being and their prospects for success in life.

GLSEN’s work is designed to ensure student safety and champion student’s success. Their programs include: Leadership development training and support to individual student leaders and more than 4,000 Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), National sponsorship of the Day of Silence, a student-led day of action that has reached hundreds of thousands of student, Federal and state-level legislative and policy advocacy for effective measures to reduce bullying and bias in schools, Professional development trainings on LGBT issues for thousands of teachers, administrators and other school staff, and The Space Campaign to place critical information in all 100,000 middle and high schools nationwide.